Crowd activity and ambient condition measurement and reporting system

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a system for measuring ambient conditions in venues using a number of real-time signals, including sound, temperature, light, motion, water usage, vibration, infrared signal and others. Ambient signal data is transmitted to a cloud-based application that stores the signal levels in a database and presents the information in a visual format for use by venues and by consumers. The system can, among other things, provide an overall measure of crowd activity in a venue.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/561,471, titled CROWD ACTIVITY MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING SYSTEM,filed Nov. 18, 2011.

BACKGROUND

Consumers have an abundance of choices to make in social venues, whetherbars, restaurants, clubs, coffee shops or other public locations wherefood, beverages or entertainment are provided. Many such venues vary inpopularity, whether as to time of day, day of the week or season or asto normal fluctuation due to novelty. For example, a particular barmight have a small lunch time crowd but a large evening crowd, or evenlate evening crowd. Alternatively, a particular restaurant in proximityto a sports venue may be very busy on game night but very slow at othertimes. The level of activity, except at certain times (i.e. middle ofthe night at a restaurant) is typically very difficult to predict.

The level of activity can greatly impact consumer desire to go to aparticular venue. One type of consumer, a family with small children forexample, may only want to go to restaurants that are quiet or slowenough to have immediate seating. Conversely, younger people orconventioneers may purposely want to go to venues that are loud andstanding room only. In another example, music clubs may only become busywhen an opening act comes on stage and this time can vary widely basedon the band and number of opening acts.

Consumers have little way of knowing a real-time level of crowd activityat a venue unless they (a) travel to the venue or (b) call the venue.The first can be greatly impractical depending on the location of thevenue or the desire of the consumer to guarantee in advance what thelevel of crowd activity is. It is a common occurrence for consumers totravel to a venue and find that a restaurant is too busy to accommodateseating except with a long wait time. Or consumers may travel to a venueand find that it is closed, or so slow that it would not be enjoyable tostay at the location. Other venue choices may not be in proximity to thefirst location, thus imposing further risk of lost time or frustrationon the consumer.

Consumers could call particular venues and check on crowd level.However, many venues will not answer the phone or if they do, theinformation they provide is temporal—by the time consumers arrive at thedestination, conditions have changed for the worse. While somerestaurants do take reservations, which addresses concern for seating,many do not. Further, crowd level might affect whether someone goes to aparticular venue even with a reservation (for example, a working lunchwhere it might be essential to have access to a quiet space).

For these and other reasons, consumers are often left with substantialrisk of lost time and frustration when choosing an appropriate socialvenue because of the lack of real-time crowd activity information.

From the business standpoint there is frustration as well. Unless aconsumer calls or tries to book a reservation, whether by phone orinternet, they will not know in advance whether the venue is appropriatefor the social gathering. So the business often has to addressfrustrated consumers who arrive expecting seating when there is a longwait or arrive expecting bustling activity when the venue is too quiet.Businesses have no way of broadcasting crowd activity level to letconsumers have the benefit of this information.

Further, businesses that are slow when they are typically busy mightlike to communicate such information to consumers in need of immediateseating. Or businesses that are busy when they are typically slow mightwant to advertise activity level as a way of showing business success.Businesses may also want to be able to offer specials or deals thatrelate to specified activity levels.

While register sales may provide some measure of facility use, dollarsspent by patrons could vary wildly from the actual number of patrons inthe facility. Traditional door counters, primarily used for security orfire code compliance, provide no information about the level of crowdactivity in the venue. 100 people in motion at a rock club will be muchlouder than 500 people sitting at a play.

Thus there is a need for a real-time crowd activity measurement andreporting system for social venues.

In addition to overall crowd effect, ambient conditions also affect thecondition of a restaurant or other social venue, including the qualityof overall experience. Monitoring and capturing of sound, light andtemperature provide an overall ambient experience description that wouldbe useful to venues: for patron enjoyment; for staff enjoyment andproductivity; and for general conditions of the premises, includingsecurity and safety. So, sound level monitoring could provide dataneeded for the crowd activity measurement. However, temperature, incombination with sound level, could also provide crowd activitymeasurement. Noise, light and temperature also affect venue userexperience, including for those with hearing or vision impairment, noisesensitivity or crowd-related anxiety. These are but additional reasonswhy an ambient condition monitor would be of great value.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to a system for measuring ambientconditions in venues using a number of real-time signals, includingsound, temperature, light, motion, water usage, vibration, infraredsignal and others. Ambient signal data is transmitted to a cloud-basedapplication that stores the signal levels in a database and presents theinformation in a visual format for use by venues and by consumers. Thesystem can, among other things, provide an overall measure of crowdactivity in a venue.

Reference is made throughout the present disclosure to certain aspectsof one embodiment of the system described herein. Such references toaspects of the presently described system do not limit the scope of theclaims attached hereto. Additionally, any examples set forth in thisdisclosure are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some ofthe many possible embodiments for the appended claims. It is to beunderstood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for thepurpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example of the system in use at a venue with an array ofsound pressure level meters or ambient condition sensors set up withinthe venue.

FIG. 2 is an example comparative plot of sound pressure data for threevenues during the course of a given day.

FIG. 3 is an example of a map that could show where hot or cold venuesare located at a given point in time on an example visual interface.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an example computing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The system described below measures crowd level at venues, whetherpublic or private, through the use of real-time crowd signals: sound;light; temperature; motion; water usage; vibration; infrared signal andothers. The system further transmits the crowd signal information on arecurring basis to a cloud-based application that stores the signallevels in a database and further presents the information in a visualformat. The data can then be viewed by venues or consumers to determineactivity levels at a given time.

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts andassemblies throughout the several views. Reference to variousembodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto.Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are notintended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possibleembodiments for the appended claims. It is understood that variousomissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated ascircumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended tocover applications or embodiments without departing from the spirit orscope of the claims attached hereto. Also, it is to be understood thatthe phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

A preferred embodiment will be described with regard to a nightclub.Inside the nightclub are one or more sound pressure level, or soundlevel, meters (“SPL meters”) 104, such as the array shown in FIG. 1. Inlieu of an SPL meter 104, any ambient condition sensor as describedherein may be used. They can be standalone battery-powered units (suchas a sound level datalogger) or could be hard-wired into a power supply(or power over Ethernet). From a data transmission standpoint, the unitscould operate wirelessly (via wi-fi or data network such as 3G or 4G) orvia hardline (via Ethernet to a PC or other computer and then viainternet or other data connection to a remote or local server) totransmit data via a network 404. This is described in more detail belowin reference to FIG. 4. In one embodiment, the sound pressure levelmeter 104 is a self-ranging decibel meter (i.e., one that can adjustdecibel range based on actual sound pressure ranges at a specific venue,such as 60-70 decibels; 70-80 etc. . . . ). Consumer smartphones withsound meter apps could also supply this data. The SPL units wouldmeasure sound pressure level and the remote crowd signal applicationwould, on a periodic basis, capture the signal level and store in adatabase. For example, the system could grab crowd signal every 5minutes and store for further use. As the sound level went up in theclub due to increased crowd level, the signal level would go up.

As an alternative to sound pressure level measurement, other sound,noise or decibel level meters could be employed. For example,microphones could be used to record an audio signal, including signalintensity, and evaluate sound profile in the recording. The appropriatemeters would be employed in the physical environment to capture andanalyze sound signal intensity.

Signals in addition to sound- or noise-based ones could also be employedas an alternative to, or in combination with, those that aresound-based. For example, one or more motion sensors could be used tomeasure overall intensity of physical motion in a given space. Vibrationsensors could also be used to similar effect—as the level of physicalactivity in a space increased, the vibration signal would increase. Alsopossible would be temperature sensors or infrared signal meters. As thelevel of people 102 in a given space increased, the temperature orinfrared heat signal would increase. Similarly, CO2 level could betracked with a carbon dioxide sensor as its level would increase withthe number of people in a space.

Two other modalities could work as well: (a) water usage measurement;and (b) cellphone signal detection. In the first, a flow meter orvibration sensor would be connected to an outgoing or incoming waterpipe. As the number of persons increased, the water usage level wouldincrease, whether in the kitchen or in the bathroom. The flow meter orvibration sensor would measure and track this increase and decrease.Regarding cellphone usage, a single or multi-modal cellphone signaldetector (3G, voice, wi-fi, Bluetooth) would detect outbound signals. Asthe number of persons 102 in the venue increased, the number of overallcellphone signals would increase. Given that approximately 80% of U.S.population has a cellphone, this could be a reasonably accurate measureof crowd intensity.

Alternatively, one or more of these sensors could be combined to enhanceor validate crowd activity or noise signal. For example, a soundpressure level meter signal 104 could be combined with a temperature orinfrared signal to provide an enhanced crowd measurement signal or onethat better avoids temporary distortions that may provide a falsesignal. Also, the crowd activity signal could be combined with real-timesocial network feeds that correlate published crowd location with thecrowd signal. This also could potentially provide enhanced crowdactivity data.

In addition to overall crowd effect, ambient conditions also providevery useful data on the overall quality and status of experience of avenue. These include sound, described above, but also light andtemperature. Whether or not a venue is busy, noise conditions may impairthe experience of patrons and could indicate an unacceptable risk toemployee hearing, which is the subject of federal and state regulation(such as OSHA). Consumers for a variety of reasons may seek a quieterenvironment, whether for personal enjoyment or hearing impairment orother health condition (such as noise sensitivity related to variousneurological conditions.

Temperature is also a personal comfort issue. Patrons sensitive to coldor heat, or simply seeking colder or warmer environments, would be ableto view real-time temperature conditions, which, along with sound orlight, would affect overall experience. Temperature is also a factor inemployee satisfaction and productivity. Thus, a venue might want tooptimize these conditions in real time and correlate with sound andlight for enhanced effect. Standard temperature sensors, for example,like those used in home-based thermostats, could be used in a combinedambient monitoring device.

Further, light conditions also affect overall venue experience. Light,along with sound, present the biggest impacts on patron experience—loud,dark; soft, bright; and other combinations. Patrons may seek brighter ordarker environments for a variety of reasons, including personalenjoyment and light sensitivity (whether due to vision impairment orneurological conditions, such as epilepsy). Light conditions can alsoaffect employee work and productivity. If conditions are too dark, thiscould present a safety risk. If conditions are too bright, that couldaffect work conditions adversely (through stress).

A spike in light conditions, with or without spike in sound conditions,at specific times, could also represent entrance into a specific venue,whether authorized (employees) or unauthorized (intruders). Thus thesystem could function as additional security. A rapid change intemperature, whether high or low, could indicate a climate controlfailure or possibly fire. A real-time messaging featuring, via SMS,email or other system, could deliver this data to specified accountsupon its occurrence.

On the server side, the application would track the crowd activitysignal at varying points and store in records uniquely associated withthe specific venue. The crowd signal data would be stored with specifictimes. In this way, both real-time and historical data on sound pressurelevel, for example, could be maintained, including averages for specificdays and times of day. The crowd intensity signal could be convertedinto a numerical scale value that could allow for simple comparisonbetween different venues. Both real-time and average intensity scorescould be included in the comparison set. See FIG. 2 as an examplecomparative plot of sound pressure data for 3 venues during the courseof a given day. Levels of light, temperature and other data types couldbe presented this way as well.

The venue itself would be associated in the database with geographiclocation at different levels. In this way, both real-time and averagecrowd intensity levels could be evaluated from a single venue all theway up to blocks, neighborhoods, cities, regions, and states (or highergeographic levels as well).

With the data above regularly captured and analyzed, it can then be madeavailable for use by both venues and consumers. Venues could review thedata in a tabular or visual format to see how they are doing from acomparative buzz standpoint—as opposed to just measuring against theirown historical cash register performance. Crowd intensity data wouldenable venues to offer time-specific specials to draw in customers. Suchspecials could be generated manually in response to a slow night.Alternatively, specials could be set to be published automatically wheneither (a) a given venue's performance is off compared to its ownhistorical average or (b) when crowd signal is lower compared to similarvenues in an area.

Crowd intensity or other ambient condition signal data would also bemade available for call by remote personal devices, such as smartphones,tablet computers and PC's, and presented either in a browser or in anative app interface. Consumers could see maps such as that depicted inFIG. 3 showing where the hot and cold venues are—and the map couldtoggle to only show cold (quiet) locations or only hot (busy) locations.If consumers are new to town and want to see where the hot spots are,they can see in an instant. Or if they are looking for a quiet spot fordinner, or someplace with immediate seating, they can see that as well.Those with hearing-related challenges or noise sensitivity will findthis especially useful.

The ambient condition signals could also be averaged over time toprovide a rating useful for general purposes—when temporal data may notbe as important as a generally applicable crowd activity rating. Also,the crowd activity signal could be used to facilitate on-the-spotreservations, whereby consumers could rapidly choose a venue and book areservation.

Trend data will also be available—which are the next hot spots, andwhich are cooling down? In one embodiment, consumers will able to use amobile app with mapping to see what parts of town or which individualvenues are trending up in activity. In this way, they will detect neweror re-surging venues and be able to enjoy these venues more quickly.

City law enforcement and emergency management authorities may also havereason to use the data output from the system. For either, knowledgethat crowds, especially loud ones, are rapidly increasing in a givenarea could indicate the need for additional public safety protection,whether to maintain normal public order on the sidewalks or to manage anactual emergency. They would be able to direct resources, especially atevening times, where the people actually are at a given point in time,not just where they have been historically.

The disclosed system is computer-implemented and uses a computingsystem. FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an example computingsystem 400. The example computing system 400 includes at least onecomputing device 402 and at least one ambient condition sensor 408(sound pressure, light, temperature or other). The ambient conditionsensors are of the types known to those skilled in the art. The devicescan be powered by any conventional power supply, whether battery, DC orAC connection, power over Ethernet or other types. In some embodimentsthe computing system 400 further includes a communication network 404(such as the internet or a cellular network) and one or more additionalcomputing devices 406 (such as a server).

Computing device 402 can be, for example, a smart phone or other mobiledevice, a tablet computing device, a netbook, a computing device locatedin a user's home or office, or any other computing device. Computingdevice 402 can be a stand-alone computing device or a networkedcomputing device that communicates with one or more other additionalcomputing devices across a network 404. The additional computingdevice(s) can be, for example, located remote from the initial computingdevice 402, but configured for data communication with the initialcomputing device 402 across a network 404. Computing device 406 can be,for example, a server. The ambient condition sensor 408 is networked tocommunicate with one or more computing devices 302 and/or computingdevice or server 406 across a network 404.

In some examples, the computing device 402 includes at least oneprocessor or processing unit 420 and system memory 410. Depending on theexact configuration and type of computing device, the system memory 410may be volatile (such as RAM), nonvolatile (such as ROM, flash memory,etc.) or some combination of the two. System memory 410 typicallyincludes an operating system 412 suitable for controlling the operationof the computing device, such as the WINDOWS® operating systems fromMicrosoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., or a server, such as WindowsSharePoint Server, also from Microsoft Corporation. To provide furtherexample, if the computing device 402 is a smart phone or other mobiledevice, the operating system 412 may be iOS, WP7, or any other availablemobile operating system. The system memory 410 may also include one ormore software applications 414 and may include program data 416. Thesoftware applications 414 may be in the form of mobile applications inexamples wherein the computing device 402 is a mobile device.

The computing device 402 may have additional features or functionality.For example, the device may also include additional data storage devices418 (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magneticdisks, optical disks, or tape. Computer storage media 418 may includevolatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implementedin any method or technology for storage of information, such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.System memory, removable storage and non-removable storage are allexamples of computer storage media. Computer storage media includes, butis not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other opticalstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used tostore the desired information and which can be accessed by the computingdevice. An example of computer storage media 418 is non-transitorymedia. The computing device 406 may include data storage media such asthe data storage media 418 described above, on which data is stored.

In some examples, one or more of the computing devices 402, 406 can belocated in a venue or place of business. In other examples, thecomputing device can be a personal computing device that is networked toallow the user to access the system disclosed herein at a remotelocation, such as in a user's home or other location. In someembodiments, the computing device is a smart phone or other mobiledevice. In some embodiments some components of the disclosed system arestored as data instructions for a smart phone application. A network 404facilitates communication between the computing device 402 and one ormore servers, such as an additional computing device 406, that host thedisclosed system. The network 404 may be a wide variety of differenttypes of electronic communication networks. For example, the network maybe a wide-area network, such as the Internet, a local-area network, ametropolitan-area network, a cellular network or another type ofelectronic communication network. The network may include wired and/orwireless data links. A variety of communications protocols may be usedin the network 404 including, but not limited to, Ethernet, TransportControl Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP), Hypertext TransferProtocol (HTTP), SOAP, remote procedure call protocols, and/or othertypes of communications protocols.

In some examples, the additional computing device 406 is a Web server.In this example, the initial computing device 402 includes a Web browserthat communicates with the Web server to request and retrieve data. Thedata is then displayed to the user, such as using a Web browser softwareapplication. In some embodiments, the various operations, methods, andrules disclosed herein are implemented by instructions stored in memory.When the instructions are executed by the processor of one or more ofcomputing devices 402 and 406, the instructions cause the processor toperform one or more of the operations or methods disclosed herein.

The system and method can also include location-data captured by aGPS-enabled application or device. The computing device 402 may alsohave WiFi or 3G capabilities.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the claimsattached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize variousmodifications and changes that may be made without following the exampleembodiments and applications illustrated and described herein andwithout departing from the true spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for ambient condition reporting,comprising: an ambient condition sensor configured to transmit data; acomputer network for management of the ambient condition sensor andtransmission of data from the ambient condition sensor; a data storagedevice for storing data from the ambient condition sensor; and a serverconfigured to receive data from the ambient condition sensor data,including the location of the ambient condition sensor.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the ambient condition sensor is a sound pressure levelmeter.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ambient condition sensor isa temperature meter.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the ambientcondition sensor is a light meter.
 5. The system of claim 1, whereindata from the ambient condition sensor includes at least one of thefollowing: sound pressure level; temperature; light level; vibration;and water usage.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server furthercomprises a web server configured to transmit at least part of the datafrom the ambient condition sensor by sending data to a computing device.7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computing device is a mobilecomputing device.
 8. The system of claim 6, wherein the computing deviceis a personal computer.